Chapter twenty-two: Between a man and a woman

"Oh God." Kate grips the wooden footrest of the bed for support. "I forgot about that."

"Kate," he steps towards her, his hand up in a feeble attempt at reassuring her that everything was under control. "nothing's going to happen."

Kate stares at him as if he's taken leave of his sense. "Obviously, it is!"

"No." he shakes his head as he glances at his watch. "We've got 15 to 20 minutes to discuss this."

"Discuss?" she stares at him. "What the hell is there to discuss?"

"Kate?" he gripped her shoulders. "I need you to breathe and calm down."

"But how can I-

"Inhale," she obeyed. "and exhale. Again." As she inhaled, he spoke. "There are several options for you pick from." She exhaled. "The first is that we do nothing." Kate choked on her air. "Now, he probably won't ask for proof, but you'd know him better than I."

"He would." Kate shudders. "God, he really would."

"Then if he does, we'll tell him that we'll take care of that tonight."

Kate shakes her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, he'll take that opportunity to hurt everyone. Which means, you'll have to do me," her cheeks heated at her own coarse words. "in fifteen seconds instead of the fifteen, maybe fourteen minutes now."

He clears his throat uncomfortably. "It wouldn't be fifteen seconds Kate."

She snorts. "With bullets flying, I doubt that."

"The second option is you call your father right now." She shakes her head. "Why?"

"He'll think the same as my brother"

"He won't give you a few hours?"

She shakes her head. "No, he won't, he's pretty upset with you and he'll be furious that he's been bested. Third option?" He walks over to his nightstand drawer, pulls it open to reveal a small knife inside, which he then puts on top of the stand. Kate jumps up as he starts to roll up his sleeve. "Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

"I'm faking the blood on the sheets." He explains.

Kate stares at him in utter shock. "What?"

He smiles cockily at her. "Did you really think that I was going to put you through anything like that?"

"Yes."

He shoots her a wounded look as he picks up the knife. "Well, I wouldn't."

"Don't, please!" Kate steps towards him, putting her hand atop of his. "That is…really, the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone's done for me. but…I don't want you to do that."

"Then what do you want me to do Kate?" he asks as he sets down the knife. "Because there aren't any other options."

Kate bites her lip and makes up her mind probably too quickly. "Time?"

He glances at his watch. "4:20." Kate exhales, closes her eyes for a minute before turning and pulling back the covers. "No, not happening Kate."

"That is really the best option. No one gets hurt."

"Except for you."

She turns towards him, confusion in her eyes. "You'd hurt me?"

He exhales. "No, I wouldn't."

"I trust you." he shakes his head and she reaches for his hand. "I trust you."

He reaches up and cups her face. "I don't want to Kate, I really don't." Kate places a hand on his hip, her heart pounding in her chest as he glanced downwards. "You deserve far better than what you're asking."

"This isn't about me anymore. It's about the family."

"Look-

"No, you asked me to make a choice, and I did."

He lets out a curse and sighs. "Kate." He studies her face very closely before nodding. "Alright." Her heart jumps in her chest as he shrugs out of his coat. "But after this, I won't touch you again. that is…unless you want me to."

Kate smiles feebly. "You're a good man."

"I'm really not." Kate starts to undo the sash on the dress, but he stops her. "Keep your clothes on." he leans forward to kiss her, causing her heart rate to spike. "You're not ready for this, so," a deep kiss on her lips causes her to reach for his waist. "I'm going to give you as much privacy as I can."

With that, he cupped her neck in his hands and proceeded to kiss her frantically. Kate gripped a hold of his wrists and closes her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as he backed her up against the bed. she went down before he had the chance to position her, breaking the kiss. He exhales, giving her a moment to get comfortable before getting on the bed.

her heart pounded in her throat as Thomas got on top of her, drawing her skirt up to her waist. embarrassment nearly smothered her as she reached behind her to brace herself against the wooden bed frame. He brings her undergarments down her legs and quickly inserts a finger inside of her. Against her will, she jumped as his finger hit her virgin barrier. He leans forward to kiss her again and she brings her hand towards his shoulders.

The cool feel of the ring on her finger, causes her to break the kiss. "Wait!" he exhales roughly and looks down at her. "I-I just need to know." She inhales as she asks. "The ring?" he looks confused. "Why'd you buy me this ring?"

"That's it?" he asks as she nods. He lets out an exhale before resumes pumping his finger inside her.

"Yes!" she lets out a moan and bucks her hips slightly as these unwanted feelings started to serge inside her.

"You need to know…now?"

"Yes!" her voice rises slightly as he slips another finger inside her. "Oh God! Please," he exhaled as she slaps the side of the bed in frustration between the emotions flowing over her and his hesitancy to answer such a question. "I need to know!"

"Because…we were at that point Kate." She stares up at him in surprise as he pumps harder and faster inside her. "I was planning on proposing to you." Those words made her heart surge in her chest as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Just not this soon."

With that, his lips closed over hers, causing her to moan. She felt slightly better now, knowing that he was planning to propose to her. But there were still so many unanswered questions, which she decided to put it out of her mind for the moment. Kate moved her hands to encircle his shoulders as she shyly returned the kisses.

Her body instantly betrayed her by reacting to his attentions. She could feel the warmth and wetness as he withdrew his fingers from inside her. She heard him unzipping his trousers and inhaled mentally readied herself as she didn't dare to look at him. She knew what was coming and even though she trusted him, she still felt as if she going to be sick with terror. She felt the tip of him inside her folds and she stiffened up for a second. Thomas hesitated and for one moment, she thought he was going to change his mind about this whole thing.

He didn't.

He surged forward and caught her lips in a bruising kiss that caused her to grip his shoulders. With one quick, hard thrust, he tore through her virginity. She let out a cry of discomfort, clutching him tightly, and breathing through the pain. Thomas said something to her, in Romani. She wasn't sure what he was saying, but the tone was soothing. She exhaled in relief and closed her eyes, listening to him speak in Romani as he buries a kiss in her neck, causing her to moan.

"Kate?" he asks gently.

"I'm alright." She breathed softly in his ear.

He kissed her a few more times before starting to move inside her. Kate exhales and relaxes somewhat, moving her hands to his forearms. He expertly coaxed her mouth open with his, resulting in a fiery, wet kiss that causes her to cling tighter to him. It's not hurting her as much anymore. The pain is being replaced by a mysterious, intense, almost pleasurable feeling. To her, it feels as if their bodies are a good fit, he feels right against her. She knows that she's his third wife, so she can't be sure what it is he's feeling, but he clearly knows what he's doing.

Something unfamiliar begins building in her lower body, a tense pressure that causes her to shift her hips in an attempt to relieve the pressure. It to build, causing her to whimper in frustration. Thomas began moving harder within her, causing the pressure to build and she begins to shift her hips desperately against him. She brings her legs up around his waist, causing him to slide further inside her.

Thomas suddenly hits something deep inside her, causing her to let out a moan as her eyes fly open. He continued to hit that spot inside her, causing another sound to escape her lips. every movement on his part causes her body to tingle and twitch as the tension inside her body builds before finally exploding throughout her. Kate wrenches her head back and lets out a gasping cry at the same moment; Thomas let a deep exhale and releases his seed inside her. she inhales sharply, closing her eyes as her body buzzes from the pleasure and attempts to understand what just happened to her

She bit her lip as Thomas exhaled deeply, his breath hot on her neck. She noticed he had been careful not to collapse on top of her, even if it was a bit of an effort for him. His lips lightly touched hers in a gentle kiss, breathing something in Romani as he carefully withdrew from her. she rolled over on her side as he got out of the bed. she appreciated that he kept his back to her, giving her some privacy. She stood up, her legs shaking as she picked up her knickers and carefully made her way to the bathroom. She was sore, but true to his word, he hadn't hurt her. After cleaning herself up, as she went to step into her undergarments, a glance down showed blood spots. Kate groaned, as if the day couldn't get any worse. Oh well, maybe Ada had a tampax to spare.

Thomas's stomach swirled in guilt as he rearranged his clothes. He didn't want to take Kate like that at all. he'd wanted to give her so much more than that. Then…that was the choice Kate had made. He was perfectly willing to shed his own blood to keep her safe, but she didn't want that. Why, she made that decision was going to drive him insane. Why didn't she just let him do that?

He'd helped her through it as much as he could and she'd gone along with it. She was very receptive he noted, each little touch seemed to set her off. She even returned his kisses. But then she was a virgin, so, everything was new. He smiled faintly, hadn't been too new to Grace and Lizzie. But Kate…his Kate…he knew that she'd be good. this time hadn't been perfect, but…maybe the next time it would be.

He glanced at his watch. It was 4:48. He steps to the window and peers out. sure enough as Kate predicted, there were six cars coming up the drive. He exhales and steps through the doors towards the bathroom.

He coughs, letting her know that he's outside. "Kate," he taps on the door with his knuckles. "your brother is here." Kate drops something, which causes him to smile. He loves her skittish nature.

"I'm ready." She clears her throat and steps outside of the restroom. She inhales as she brushes by him without looking up. "Shall we?"

Thomas exhales, he feels as if they've gone back to the beginning of their relationship. he follows after her, they're halfway down the stairs when he speaks. "Kate?" She turns towards him as he places his hand on the railing next to her. "Are you alright?"

She bites her lip but nods. "Yes." He doesn't believe her. she inhales and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am, and it's just… I can't break down now."

"Yes," he reaches for her hand and to his relief, she doesn't pull away from him. "you can."

"No." She shakes her head. "if I do…I won't stop." He reaches into his pocket and hands her a handkerchief. "Thank you."

"You're a strong woman Kate." He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, which she instantly reciprocated.

"Don't let me go." She breathes quietly.

He smiles faintly at her as he places a kiss on her cheek. "That I can do."

"They're coming up the drive!" Arthur shouts from the library.

Kate clears her throat and pulls away. "We better go."

He nods and hurries down the stairs, holding onto her hand. "Ok, everyone except for Arthur in the living room."

"I'll get the door."

Thomas shakes his head. "No."

"It has to be me. anyone else will get shot on sight, no questions asked." She inhales and opens the front door.

A gun is instantly pointed in her face, but fortunately, it's her brother holding the gun. "Kate?" He lowers it as he stares at her in shock before he demands angrily. "What are you doing here?"

CrazyLoonyToon: Your wish is my command.

Guest: I know, she's amazing! I love so much of her music!

Velairis: The crazy isn't over yet.

Angel029: It was very bizarre. The wedding planner, brought in her assistant, who kept pestering me for a date! I ignored him for 2 days, then, when I'm on the phone with the bakery, he kisses my neck! My instant reaction, unfortunately for him, is to put him in a headlock and slam him to the ground! (Gotta love judo!) Lucky for me, it happened in the room with security camera, so his boss saw him. She called him up and fired him! I told her that, unfortunately, I needed him here, but to keep him in check via camera. Here's where it gets weird. My friend, the bride, calls me up and demands I apologize for jeopardizing her wedding! I refused to apologize for being harassed, she goes all nuts on me, screaming I don't do anything for her, etc. I wasn't even getting paid, I did it as a favor for her! So, I quit the day before the wedding! Then, I get a message from the groom, who decided to send me $350! So, I caught a ride with another friend, who decided to drive up to Vegas for no reason. So, we had fun and he just dropped me off back home. I'll be catching a much needed nap, but I didn't want to leave you all hanging much longer.

Idcam: Yes, but I think Thomas handled the whole situation very well, leaving Kate as much privacy as possible. But it's not over yet, the next chapter deals her one final blow.